Help a deafblind person with your unwanted smartphone

Thanks for joining our workplace campaign with Able Australia by collecting working smartphones during September 2017. The smartphones will be used by Able Australia to educate deafblind people on how to use mobile technology to communicate and stay connected. Something most of us take for granted.

How it works

Promote the campaign to your workplace by using our resources including posters, email templates and case studies to share the message.

Encourage your employees to bring in their unwanted smartphones for Able Australia during the month of September. Make sure they have removed any personal information, settings and network locks so the smartphone can be reused.

When we receive your mobiles each phone will be checked to ensure it is working and any data left of the phone will be wiped by MobileMuster's recycling partner TES Australia. Any phones that are not suitable, along with accessories, will be recycled.

Use our email template and case study to share with your staff and customers.

Video

The video developed by Able Australia tells the story of Michael Doherty and how he goes about his daily life with the help of his smartphone. Available via Youtube https://youtu.be/FU-1LQk6KGg

Frequently Asked Questions

What smartphones are suitable?

Smartphones suitable for use include iPhone 4 and above, Samsung Galaxy S4 and above, LG Nexus 7 and above, Nokia Lumia 540 and above. No cracked screens please. Include the smartphone charger if you have one. 1

What to do before you send in your smartphone?

Please turn off and remove the device from Find My iPhone or Android equivalent. If you don’t do this the device cannot be used.You may also want to erase any personal information and settings. MobileMuster has developed a guide on how to remove your data and advises you to check with your mobile phone manufacturer to see instructions for your handset.

How to remove a network lock?

If your device is network locked, that is locked into the mobile network when you brought the mobile phone, please contact your service provider and request a network unlock. This will ensure that the device can be used by Able Australia with any service provider.

What will happen to the phones?

Each phone will be checked to ensure it is working and any data left of the phone will be wiped by MobileMuster's recycling partner TES. The data wiping service our recycling partner TES uses provides a Pass Secure Data Overwrite to Dept of Defence DoD 5220.22-M standard. Any phones that are not suitable, along with accessories, will be recycled by MobileMuster for resource recovery, none will be sold for reuse and all data will be destroyed.

How does the mobile technology work?

The mobile phones use a special Braille machine that connects to the phone via Bluetooth technology. This allows deafblind people to use the mobile phone instantly to stay in touch with others and even use it to navigate their way around in the community.

What do I do when I have collected the smartphones?

You will need to to transfer the smartphones and their accessories into a plain cardboard box so it's ready for transporting. Then simply download our free mailing label to send them back to us via Australia Post.

Able Australia has been working with the deafblind community since 1967 and believes deafblindness is very much Australia's forgotten disability. There are currently more than 288,000 Australians with hearing and sight impairment and this number is expected to go beyond 1 million by 2050. For more information visit their website.

[1] Access Economics (2010), Making Sense: The economic impact of dual sensory impairment and multiple disabilities commission by Able Australia.